graypants | Seattle, WA NuBe Artisan Since 2009 U.S. Made, U.S. Sourced, Recycled or Repurposed Material, Made by Hand.

Most Seattleites have heard of graypants. Their hanging, corrugated cardboard scraplights have earned them a fabulous reputation over the past few years. When we headed down to visit their studio, however, I discovered graypants is much more than a hip lighting company.

We met with founder Seth and his dog Fig in their SoDo studio. Seth started graypants with his best friend Jonathan (who was unfortunately not there during our visit). With backgrounds in architecture, Seth and Jonathan have the ability to turn any creative idea into a breathtaking reality. Jonathan describes graypants as a creative think tank capable of tackling any project—whether it’s a new house, designing furniture, or turning a shipping container into a mobile pop-up shop. Last year they turned a shipping container into NuBe Green’s mobile pop-up shop. Their most recent project took place on Vashon Island, constructing a waterfront home. (A video on this amazing house is coming soon!) Each scraplight is born here. This machine burns through the cardboard, cutting out different segments of various sized rings. Gathered into piles, the rings prepare for assembly. Each piece is carefully glued on, layer by layer. All graypants lampshades are then treated with a non-toxic, low-to-zero VOC, and class-A fire retardant that has been extensively tested and meets numerous industry standards. graypants also has a new line of aluminum Steplights. These lights are lightweight, pack flat, and require no tools, adhesives, or fasteners. They are absolutely stunning. Here are some other cool pictures from our visit.